City St George’s 2024-25 Performance Student-Athletes Announced
City St George’s is pleased to announce the high-performing students-athletes supported by the Student-Athlete Support Programme (SASP).
The SASP, managed by university’s Sport and Leisure Service, provides a package of support for City St George’s student-athletes – from any campus – to help them excel in their athletic career and balance the demands of their course. This includes a free membership to CitySport, S&C guidance, physiotherapy access, and bespoke workshops, amongst other provision.
The 2024-25 student-athletes are:
Andrea Spendolini Sirieix – Pais 2024 Olympic bronze medallist in diving
Benjamin Cutmore – Senior British diver
Eleni Rodopoulou – U20 World and European track and field athlete
Ben Coulthard – Great Britain U20 American Football squad player
The supported individuals have already shared their praise for the programme.
Andrea, noted, “as balancing diving and university can be very challenging, I might not be able to go into the pool and diving facility as I have lectures or homework. Having the CitySport gym so close to uni is extremely helpful as I can still keep fit and stay in my workout regime without becoming overwhelmed with the thought of missing training” and Eleni said, “It is feels really nice to be recognised and appreciated as its extra hard to keep a balance between my studies, my sport and my personal life.”
Differing levels of support exist, enabling students demonstrating potential by performing at national/BUCS level to those competing at an international level to be recognised and aided. The programme is also supported by a number of partners:
- Add Victor; mentoring advice service for athletes
- Under Armour Next; athletic performance testing
- Barbican Physio; (pre)rehabilitation services
Natalie White, Operations Manager and performance sport coorindator, commented, “we are extremely pleased to have created and launched this new programme. There have been many students over the years who have attended the university and competed at high levels, but the support provided by the Student-Athlete Support Programme will hopefully help the current – and future – cohorts achieve more sporting success, balance their studies, and increase their profile.”
Tom Edwards, Head of Sport and Leisure, added, “the SASP creation is an exciting step in pursuit of achieving our strategic vision for sport and activity at the university. The programme is the first of many initiatives Sport and Leisure are looking to develop to enhance the student experience and increase the university reputation locally and (inter)nationally. We look forward to seeing these students represent Team CSG not only in the university-level BUCS sporting events, but also internationally as they compete for their countries!”
Applications will re-open in the next academic year, where Sport and Leisure will expand the provision and number of supported student-athletes. More information about the programme can be found here or by contacting Sport and Leisure.